The Sea Spoilers

(1936)

63 minutes

Directed by Frank R. Strayed

Written by Darrell McGowan, Stuart E. McGowan and George Wagner

Produced by Term Carr and Paul Malvern

Cinematography by Edward Snyder and Archie Stout

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Action / Drama / War

Cast:

John Wayne as Bob Randall

Nan Grey as Connie Dawson

William Bakewell as Lieutenant Mays

Fuzzy Knight as Hogan

Russell Hicks as Phil Morgan

George Irving as Commander Mays

Lotus Long as Marie

Harry Worth as Nick Austin

Ernest Hilliard as Reggie

George Hubert as Hop Scotch

Ethan Laidlaw as Louie

Bob Randall is a Coast Guard Commander in charge of the ship Niobi stationed in Alaska.  Bob must deal with reassignment to First Mate as Bob’s Commander places his son in charge of the Niobi.  Their main mission is to search for a missing heiress named Connie Dawson, after she is kidnapped by poachers who board her father’s yacht and kill him.  It doesn’t help that Bob is currently involved in a romantic relationship with Connie as well!  After a traumatic event with the Niobi’s new and inexperienced Captain, Bob is placed back in command of the ship, and they accidentally discover the poachers while looking for a crashed Coast Guard pilot.  Bob goes undercover to infiltrate the poachers, but gets captured.  Later he is able to get a broadcast out to Coast Guard command and he and Connie are rescued after a dramatic battle with the poachers.
 
Notes:

This is one of 6 films that John Wayne did for Universal Pictures, and is unique in that it is not a western.  It is thought that Universal was trying to broaden the young Wayne’s appeal by casting him in several movies that were not westerns.  California Straight Ahead! is definitely an interesting and unique look into John Wayne’s career as an actor.